And people pay for mud baths?

On Saturday the 29th of May, myself and 1500 other (crazy?) riders competed in the Capital Punishment enduro MTB race. Held in our Nation's Capital, the 50km version in which I was entered took in many legendary trails such as Majura Pines and Mt Stromlo.

Competing in this event was very important to me. I've had a goal for close to two years now to compete in, and finish, such a race. I guess the only thing I didn't plan was for the heavens to open on the night before and for the trails to resemble chocolate mousse!!

As you can see below, I didn't need to pay extra for a mud facial.

All the trails in the ACT are amazing but the highlight for me, other than finishing of course, was riding the Mt Stromlo downhill section at the end - it made the pain of the previous 50km completely worthwhile, including the nice hill climb right at the end!!

Even as I write this now and look at the photos, I've noticed a smile has crept upon my face :-)

Oh, and I think my bike might have been a little "heavier" during the race for some reason.

For those "data minded" people out there like myself, here are some stats and a link to the recording with my Garmin Edge 705 GPS.


Official Time: 05:27:16*
Overall Position (50km event) : 578 / 848
Gender Position: 488 / 676
Category Position (Open): 323 / 531


Official Results
Activity on Garmin Connect

*My official time is different as there was a 6km untimed section along Gungahlin Drive.